First published 1990
Nicholas Dyer serves as assistant to Sir Christopher Wren in eighteenth-century London. He receives orders to construct seven churches that will symbolize enlightenment values. Dyer harbors different intentions. He embeds occult secrets into each building's foundation, designing structures meant to endure forever through dark power. His architecture conceals ritualistic elements that defy Christian purpose. Two and a half centuries pass. Detective Nicholas Hawksmoor walks through modern London investigating brutal killings. Each murder occurs at the site of an old church built during Dyer's era. The crimes follow no logical pattern that contemporary police work can explain. Hawksmoor finds himself drawn into mysteries that connect across time. The two Nicholases exist in different worlds yet share a bond through the cursed buildings. Dyer's malevolent creation reaches forward through history. Hawksmoor must confront forces that rational investigation cannot touch. Past and present collide through architecture designed to channel supernatural malice across the centuries.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, supernatural, architecture
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: dual-timeline, supernatural-elements, unreliable-narrator
Setting: London
Period: 18th Century, 20th Century
217 pages · Paperback · Abacus